Phineas Zeal in Execution of Judgment

IT is this day Ordered by the Lord's in Parliament: That this House doth hereby return thanks to Doctor Staunton, for his great pains taken in his Sermon preached by him this day, before their Lordships in the Abby Church Westminster, it being the day of the monthly Fast: And this House doth desire him to Print and publish the same. And lastly, it is Ordered that none shall presume to Print or reprint his said Sermon, without being Authorized under the hand of the said Doctor Staunton.

I Authorize CHRISTOPHER MEREDITH to print my Sermon.

A SERMON PREACHED TO the Right Honorable House of Lord's on the Monethly Fast, October 30. 1644.

H Ere are three verses together, which holds forth a threefold estate of Israel.

• 1. Sinning Israel; They joined themselves unto Baalpeor, and eat the sacrifices of the dead, verse. 28.
• 2. Plagued Israel; They provoked him to anger with their inventions: and the plague brake in upon them, verse. 29.
• 3. Relieved Israel. Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and so the plague was stayed. verse. 30.

1. Israel's Sin was twofold. First, Corporal uncleanness, They committed whoredom with the daughters of Moab. Numb. 25.1. Secondly, Spiritual uncleanness, The people did eat and bowed down to their gods. verse. 2. They joined themselves to Baal-peor, and eat the sacrifice of the dead, to wit, dead Israel, of dead sacrifices to dead gods, so the Psalmist, verse. 28.

Hence observe, that Corporal and spiritual uncleanness, usually go together: adultery and idolatry are sister sins; and upon this double right of double uncleanness, Rome challengeth that title of Mother of harlots and abominations of the earth, Rev. 17.5.

2. God's plaguing of Israel hath two degrees or steps in it. 1. The kindling of it in God's wrath, they provoked him to anger with there inventions. 2. The flaming of it in Israel's misery, the plague brake in upon them, verse. 29.

For clearing the history which we have at large, Numb. 25. and the opening of the text, these query's must be answered.

1. What kind of plague this was. For answer, some think it was the plague of pestilence, because the word plague is usually so taken: others conceive it rather to be a plague of slaughters by the hand of Moses, who had command from God to take all the heads of the people, (to wit, the ringleaders to idolatry) and to hang them up before the Lord against the Sun. Numb. 25.4. and by the Judges, who had command from Moses, To slay everyone his men that were joined unto Baal peor, verse. 5. And probably this was the plague the Psalmist speaks of, partly, because the word is genericall, implying many kinds or species, and is sometimes particularly applied to this by slaughters. So there was a great slaughter or plague among the people, 1 Sam. 4.17. partly, because it suits best with the history, which mentions this plague by slaughter, not that by pestilence.

2. Quere is this, The plague being great, for it brake in upon them as a flood of waters, or as an host of armed men, the question is, how great this plague was: For answer, ask Moses, he saith, those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand, Numb. 25.9. ask Paul and he saith, There fell three and twenty thousand, 1 Corinth. 10.8. these varying calculations, some reconcile thus; Paul speaks in generals, relating to the story, Numbers 25. Moses speaks more particularly, being the Historian: others take notice of the double slaughter, one by the Judges with the sword, wherein probably were cut off about three and twenty thousand, and this is Paul's number, another by Moses, with the halter hanging up the heads of the people, probably about a thousand, which being added to the former, makes up the four and twenty thousand, the number set down by Moses.

A third Quere is this, Why and how the execution of judgment should be called a plague in Israel; it seems rather a blessing then a curse in Israel. For Answer, What was done by Moses and the Judges, as it was the cutting off of so many Idolaters and Adulterers, so it was a blessing; as there was the taking away of so many men's lives, so it was a sad thing, a kind of plague in Israel, especially, all these falling in one day, 1 Cor. 10.8. as for instance, should the Parliament put to death an hundred, or but half an hundred of the Traitors and Rebels against the State in a day, it would in one sense be a sad spectacle, a kind of plague, but in another a blessing in our Israel.

Thirdly, for the relieving of Israel, that is brought about by the execution of judgment: Then stood up Phinehas and executed judgment, and then the plague was stayed, verse. 30. And here two doubts more must be answered.

First, What Phinehas had to do in execution of Judgment, who for his pedigree was the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the Priest, Numb. 25.7. for his office at the most but praefectus sacris (as Mollerus ) a Ruler in the Sanctuary, but in public administration of civil Justice, he was privatus, e plebe unus, a private man, one among the people, so that this act of his might seem not to be zeal, but murder rather, and that in a high degree, for there was shedding blood, noble, if not royal blood, Zimri being the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites, Numb. 25.14. and withal his slaying them in the act of their sinning might be at once a killing of their bodies & souls also, and so double murder: For Answer, it is clear that this act of Phineas was counted unto him for righteousness, to wit, as a righteous act unto all generations for evermore, verse. 31. And some Divines give this reason for the clearing of him, that he did it by special instinct, and by a motion extraordinary, and by a holy pang of zeal, yet this (by the way) is no constant rule for us to walk by.

A second Doubt is, Why the pacifying of God's wrath, and the staying of the plague is ascribed to this act of Phineas, having a blush of irregularity in it, rather then to the acts of Moses and the Judges, which were by express command from God and very regular; For Answer, the acts of Moses and the Judges shaked the fire of God's wrath, that of Phineas quenched it; again, the acts of Moses and the Judges had a rise from a spark, that of Phineas from a flame of zeal and holy indignation in him; hence the Lord who is exceedingly taken with the springs and roots of actions, sets the crown upon the head of Phineas. These things I lay down as probable, not as demonstrative.

The Text hath in it four particulars.

First, The quando, The circumstance of time, then.

Secondly, The quis, The agent, Phineas.

Thirdly, The quid, What he doth, his acts are double. First, he stood up, or, arose up, being quickened by a spirit of zeal within him. Secondly, he executed judgment or prayed, so some render it, it may be both.

Fourthly, The quid inde, the fruits and issues. First, the wrath of God was pacified, as it is implied in the Psalm, and expressed in Numbers. Secondly, the plague was stayed.

First, for the quando, or the circumstance of time, it falls under a threefold consideration.

First, then, when sin came to a height of impudency, Zimri and Cosby not blushing to act uncleanness in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the Congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation: As it were on a Day of Solemn Humiliations.

Hence observe, that when sin is grown impudent, that is God's time to cut off a sinner. Put ye in the sicle, for the harvest is ripe; come get you down for the press is full, the fats overflow, for their wickedness is great, saith the Lord by his Prophet Joel.

Secondly, when Zimri and Cosby were in the act of sinning.

Hence observe, how the vengeance of God oft seizeth on the sinner in the very act of sinning. So Belshazzar is met withal in his carowsing act, Ananias and Sapphira in their lying act leavened with sacrilege, & Herod in his proud act, taking in the applause of the people, crying, It is the voice of a God, and not of a man: for the Angel of the Lord smote him as some think, with an audible blow, however a blow fatal and deadly, for because he gave not God the glory, he was eaten up of worms (of worms above ground) and gave up the ghost.

Thirdly, Then, when Moses and the Judges were cutting off the troublers of Israel, by thousands, in a way of justice.

Hence observe, the Magistrates due and regular execution of justice, bindeth not up God's hands from pouring out of his wrath upon his enemies, in ways something strange and extraordinary.

Secondly, For the quis, the agent, Phinehas is the man that executes judgment, a man unthought of for such a service: hence observe that when God hath work to do, he can find out workmen, a Phinehas with zeal in his heart and a javelin in his hand, to thrust through the proudest Zimri's and Cozbi's, the most daring sinners.

I shall put the third and the fourth, the quid and the quid inde, both together, what he doth and what comes of it, he executeth judgment, and thereupon wrath was pacified and the plague stayed.

Hence observe, that execution of judgment, is God's way to pacisie God's wrath and to stay his judgments.

The confirmation hereof I shall lay down in three Arguments.

First, The removal of the Cause takes away the effect also, execution of judgment removes the sin or the sinner, and therefore takes away God's wrath and judgment; Whilest Achan lives, Israel is troubled; stone Achan, burn the accursed wedge of gold, the silver, and the Babylonish garment, &c. and the Lord turns from the fierceness of his anger, Josh. 7. last. Whilest Jonah is in the ship, the Searageth, cast him over board, and there is a calm presently, Jonah 1.15.

The second Argument runs thus; Execution of judgment that a vertus in it, to turn a curse into a blessing, therefore much more to prevent a curse or procure a blessing; instance the case of Levi, his curse was to be divided in Jacob, and scattered in Israel, Genesis 49. verse 7. But the Levites in an after story shown themselves zealous in execution of judgment upon the Idolaters, who had worshipped the Molten Calf, Moses stood in the Gate of the Campe, and said, Who is on the Lord's side? let him come to me: and all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him, and he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the Camp and slay every man his Brother, and every man his Companion, and every man his neighbor: and the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses, and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men; thereupon God bestowed upon the Levites a blessing that day, Exodus 32.26,27,28,29. What blessing? this, that the Levites should be given to the Priests for the Service of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, Numb. 3.6,7. And thus their scattering is made no curse, but a blessing, an honor to Levi, and a mercy to all Israel: Levi unscattered had been as Candles in the pound, dark & useles, but the Levites thus scattered, are set up as so many shining lights through all the rooms of the house of Israel. Levi unscattered had been as so many scholars cloystered together in the Academy, but the Levites thus scattered, are as so many pious able Divines, dispersed up and down through a Kingdom, a blessing to a Nation.

A third Argument is from God's own example, who best knows the way for the pacifying of his own wrath, & he quiets himself in his executions of judgment; the old world sins, God is angry, the world is drowned, and God pacified. So also in the Prophet Isaiah Chap. 1. verse. 24. The Lord of hosts the mighty one of Israel saith, Ah, I will ease me of mine Adversaries, and avenge me of mine Enemies. God's avenging himself is his self-easing. Again thus in the Prophet Zacharias Chap. 6. verse. 8. The Angel cries unto him, saying, Behold these that go towards the North country have quieted my spirit in the North country. Whether the black horses in the vision were Angels, or Meeds and Persians, laying wast the Babylonians which lay North from Judea, it may be questioned, but this is certain that Judgment was executed, and thereby the spirit of the Lord quieted.

For application in the first place, this truth informs us who are friends, who enemies to our English Israel, who for the pacifying of wrath, and the removal of judgments; those who advance and help on the execution of Iudgmēt are our friends, they who hinder are our enemies; obstructers of justice are State-traitors; the weeds and flags that stop the rivers make the floods rise, the waters to overflow; and drown the Countries, and the damming up of the streams of Justice makes the wrath of God to arise as a mighty flood of waters, and deluge like to drown a Nation. God seems to cry in England as once Jehu did in Jezreel, Who is one my side, who? The Eunuchs looked out at the window, and he said, Throw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses, and he trod her underfoot; their executing of Judgment did evidence their siding with Jehu, and those in Israel, who stand for execution of Justice, side with the God of Israel.

Again in the next place this exhorts and counsels us to the execution of Judgment, and that first private and personal on our own lusts in our breasts and bosoms, lying, swearing, profanations of Sabbaths, breach of Covenants, uncleanness, &c. these, these are the Acbans that trouble Israel: Covetousness with herself-ends and aims, seeking great things, even in sad times, makes up the wedge of Gold, and the Silver, pride in Apparel, naked breasts, even in a Day of Humiliation, and that in the solemn Congregation (which of late mine eyes have seen, and my heart lamented) black spots to set out beauty, (It is mercy God turns them not into blew spots, tokens of the pestilence) are as the babylonish garment, accursed things in Israel; the way to help all were for every man to mortify his lusts by that spirit of Judgment and of burning, Isaiah 4.4. Were our Corruptions brought forth & arraigned as the malefactors, and by the spirit of the Lord adjudged to death, and executed, were our lusts laid on heaps as the fuel, and by the spirit of the Lord, as a flame of fire, burnt and consumed, this were the way to pacify God's wrath, and remove his judgments: let's not wrangle with Parliament and Armies, and complain such a Commander is unfaithful, such a leading man carries on his own designs, when our lusts at home, our personal corruptions are the inlets of all our miseries; yea the sins of inferiors God oft times punisheth with sinful miscarriages in superiors; the akeing of the head is oft from taking cold in the feet, and the wheels above in the clock stand still, because the plummets below are down; and God gives up David to a numbering of the people, when the anger of the Lord was yet kindled against Israel: holiness at home gives victories abroad; Jacob cleanseth his household from the strange God's, bids it be clean, Gen. 35.2. and the terror of the Lord was upon the cities round about him, verse. 5. Joshua was the man renowned for victories, and he is the man that saith, I and my house will serve the Lord: and David's method is first to cleanse his family, and then purge the Kingdom, He that works deceit shall not dwell within my house, Psal. 101.7. And then, I will early destroy all the wicked of the land, &c. ver. 8.

Secondly, For public and national executions of judgment, you (my Lord's) are some of our State-Physicians, and Kingdom-Surgeons, the people bring in complaints, make known their grievances, lay open their sores, that you might help to heal them; What if County Committees gall and tire out the people day after day, week after week, with tedious waitings, and sorely grieve them with unjust taxations? your Honors must help to ease them; if widows and orphans made so by the wars, I may call them sword widows, and sword orphans; if a company of poor maimed soldiers that once fought for their lives, now beg that they may live, (which is neither for the honor nor encouragement of Soldiery) (you my Lord's) must take some order for the relieving of them; if justice, justice be cried for by God and the Kingdom, you are the Moseses and Judges that must sentence them to the axe, or to the halter. For the manner how, and the motives why there should be a due execution of Justice, we may take it in these ensuing considerations.

For the manner first, the execution of justice should be sincere, sincerely, in regard of its springs & aims, the springs are zeal for God, a love of truth and justice, hatred of sin, and a desire of welfare to Church and State; the ends should be God's glory, the advancing of truth and peace, suppressing of sin and error, reformation and (if it may be) salvation to such as fall under the lash of Justice. Moses grinds to powder the golden Calf, and it was his zeal constrained him; Phinehas thrust Zimri and Cos by through with a javelin, and it was his zeal that fired him thereto; Christ whipt the byers and sellers out of the Temple, and the reason was, the zeal of his fathers house eat him up. Jehu had a kind of zeal too, and that in the execution of judgment upon the house of Ahab, but his eye was upon himself, not upon the Lord, and for the establishing of his own Kingdom, not the Lord's, he failed in the spring and end of action, and therefore what he doth is accounted by the Lord not zeal but murder, and God threatens to avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, Hosea 1.4.

Secondly, Judgment should be executed magnanimiter, with a resolution removing all blocks in the way, breaking all bars that hinder Justice.

As first, an Iron bar of fears: The fear of man brings a snare; What if the Popish party should in the end prevail? It is wisdom so to carry it, that which way soever the game goes, we may save our own stakes: thus reasons flesh and blood, but faith and zeal soon snap this bar in sunder.

Secondly, there is a Golden bar of hopes which hinders Justice; hopes of preferment, a high prizing of court smiles; and promises, a gaping for great places, are remora's and lets to the execution of Justice, though the covenant engages all that have taken it, not to be swayed by fears or hopes, yet that of Daniel is the portion of too too many, that they do wickedly against the Covenant, and are corrupt by flatteries; when in the mean time, the people that know their God shall be strong and do exployts. Themistocles a Heathen may shame many a Christian, who finding a chain of Gold in the street, would not foul his finger for it; but in an heroic Moralitie of spirit saith to another, Take thou it up, I am Themistocles.

A third is, a Fleshy bar of natural or civil Relations and Engagements, Such a man should be punished, but he is my near Kinsman, my old Companion; Another deserves to smart for his facts, but a dear friend spake for him; in such a case remember Levi, who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him, neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children, for they observed the word of the Lord and kept his Covenant, Deut. 33.9. Zeal laid aside natural affections in Levi, when it put him upon this work, the execution of Judgment. Brutus spared not his own sons, when they transgressed the Laws. And Aristides was so Constant and Resolute in a way of Justice, that the Sun might as easily be pulled out of the firmament, as he from his or be of Justice.

Lastly, there is an Effeminate bar (if I may so phrase it) of groundless pity, that is an enemy to Justice; pity is due to men, but Justice to the troublers of Israel, and pity to one, may be cruelty to thousands. The Surgeon is cruel to the wound, that he may save the man, and kindness to a disease, may prove the death to the Patient. Moses was the meekest man on earth in his days, a man full of pity, and yet he hangs up many, very many of the heads of the people against the Sun before the Lord.

Thirdly, Judgment must be executed celeriter speedily, without delays: Let Judgment be speedily executed, Ezra 7.26. Execute Judgment in the morning, Ier. 21.12. Evening-justice, Noon-justice, is not so seasonable, so acceptable to the Lord as Morning-justice; delays break the spirits of the innocent, harden the hearts, and strengthen the hands of the guilty.

Fourthly, Justice and judgment should be administered proportionaliter, in a proportion to the nature and degree of crimes and facts, sometiems death, sometimes banishment, in one case confiscation of goods, in another imprisonment. I need not mind your Honors of a mixture of mercy with justice, the Judges robes, though red, have some streamings of white about them; and David saith, he will sing of mercy, of Judgment, Psal. 101.1. as occasion serves execute justice, and pronounce sentence yea unto death, though Augustus -like, you do it with tears in your eyes.

Lastly, execute judgment impartialiter, impartially and thoroughly, in regard of persons and things: to hang a poor soldier now and then for running from his Colours, who was perhaps afraid of being starved at his Colours, may have a piece of Justice in it, but it was Saul's sparing of Agag, and the fat among the flock, that rent his Kingdom from him, and gave it to his neighbor better then he. 1 Sam. 15.28. Solomon's throne was supported by Lions, and it is Couragious execution of lustice, that holds up thrones and kingdoms.

The Considerations, enforcing the duty of executing Judgment, may be briefly these.

First, God's approbation: Phinehas executes Judgment, and it is accounted to him for righteousness, verse. 31. Fasting, praying, and hearing are good, and execution of judgment is good also; Saul's obedience in slaying Agag, had been better then his sacrifice. Joshua rends his clothes, lies on his face until evening, but all in vain, whilst the accursed thing remains in the Camp of Israel.

Secondly, Consider God's remuneration, his rewarding those that do execute judgment: the Lord gives unto Phinehas his covenant of peace, and to his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting Priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel, Numb. 25.12,13. and so holds out an example, and encouragement to all in authority, to burn with zeal for God against his enemies: God will be no man's debtor, whoever honors him he will honor: and would you (my Lord's) as the Hebrew midwives fear God, and preserve the Males in Israel, the Cause of God, and of his people, God would build you Houses, raise your Families, and spread your Honors.

Thirdly, Execution of Iudgmēt for God, is the pacification of wrath in God; Hence the Lord by the Prophet, Ier. 5.1. Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, to wit, to the gates where were the Seats of Justice, if you can find a man, (that is) a public man zealous for God, if there be any that executeth judgment, and seeketh the truth, and I will pardon it. Whence we may argue thus; If one such man saves a Jerusalem, and that by promise, then many such men might save a Nation: There is a fire of civil war kindled in England, still burning in the bowels of it, and for my part, I think there is but two bloods will quench it, the blood of Christ and of his desperate enemies: free grace in God hath poured out the one, full Justice in your Honors should help to pour out the other. The sacred Story in the Old Testament all along, discovers sin to be the make-bate, and execution of Judgment to be the make-peace between God and Israel; and the judicial Laws for the policy of the Jews, however abrogated, yet had they an appendix of moral equity, and so a perpetual obligation in them.

Fourthly, Feares and hopes, should spur on to the execution of judgment: fear we may, when we remember God's curse on Ahab, who cried my brother Benhadad, the curse was this, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand, a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people, 1 King, 20.42. The ac • omplishment whereof we find, when the dogs licked up the blood of Ahab, according to the word of the Lord which he spake, Chap. 22.38. Should the bloodthirsty enemies break in upon us, and spill our blood as water upon the ground, ravish our wives and daughters, and slay our tender infants, before our faces, then would our lives go for their lives, and our people for their people. Probably the way to sheath one sword were to draw another, and if the sword of Justice did more, the sword of war would do less; the Physician by way of revulsion stops bleeding by letting blood; and did England bleed enough in the Malignant vein, we have cause to think that other sad Issues of blood would be stopped and staunched. And again hope we may for peace, for plenty, for all prosperity, and that by promise upon the due execution of Judgment; If you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever, Ier. 7.5.7. We dwell yet in a Land flowing with milk and honey, in a healthy and wealthy Nation, given to our fathers, let us not loose England for want of Justice.

Fifthly and lastly; All devotions, yea, fasting and praying, are but formal and hypocritical, without execution of judgment; Hence God's expostulation with the people, Zach. 7.5. When you fasted and mourned, did you at all fast unto me, even unto me? their fasting was no fasting in God's accompt, and the reason is, because they did not execute true judgment, verse. 9. to fast and set Naboth on high, crushing the innocent, is Iesabelish and devilish, to fast and spare Agags, our fatest lusts unmortified, and the great firebrands of State unpunished, is but to play the hypocrite and the Pharisee.

My Lord's, we are cast upon troublous times, which are trying times, and as Jerome saith of Job, all those evils befell him, that he might appear to be outwardly to men, what he was inwardly to God, so the Lord goes on in such a way of providence, as that the thoughts of many hearts will be discovered, and it will appear who are for God, and who for Baal. It is sad to think how some renowned Worthies, who travelled with your Honors in this work of Reformation, have laid down their lives in the quarrel; it is sadder yet to see that others like the Nobles of Tecoa have not put their necks to the work of the Lord; Nay, their heads, hearts, and hands, their lands, and their lives are laid out against the Lord, and against his cause; yet ride you on patiently (ye men of Honor) gird your swords upon your thighs, execute judgment in the fear of the Lord faithfully, and with a perfect heart; so God did command the Levites, 2 Chron. 19.9. Go on not in your own names or strength, but in the name and strength of the Lord your God; let there be a holy ambition, and a pious emulation among you, to be each more active, more helpful then other for the building of the walls, yea, the Temple of Jerusalem, for settling the affairs of State and Church, and in the things of God, his worship and Churchgovernment be not swayed by subtle insinuations, seeming holiness, personal preengagements or popular politick Arguments on the one side, or on the other, but what shall be found to have God's Royal stamp of Ius Divinum, be it Formaliter, by express precept, or constant Apostolical practice, or consequeutive only, by a necessity of rational deduction, fear not to give it your political stamp of civil sanction, whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done, for the house of the God of heaven, Ezra 7.23. Your enemies are engaged, and you had need be resolute, your Ark and their Dagon will scarce stand together, and in probability, either your sword must cut down them, or theirs you; should you hold your peace, and stay in the cause, yet (as Mordecai to Hester ) deliverance shall come from some other place, but you and your fathers houses shall be destroyed, and who knows whether God hath not reserved you in the Kingdom for such a time as this? The Kingdom, nay the three kingdoms upon the point have much what entrusted your Honors with their lands, liberties, lives, and souls also; yea, with all that concerns them and their posterities, therefore be faithful to the death, and the Lord of Lord's shall give you the crown of Life. I beseech you execute judgment, as you will answer it at the Day of Judgment.

And now could I lift up my voice as a trumpet, had I the shrill cry of an angel, which might be heard from East, to West, from North to South, in all the corners of the Kingdom, my note should be, execution of judgment, execution of judgment, execution of judgment, that is God's way to pacify God's wrath; Then stood up Phinehas and executed judge meant, and so the plague was stayed.